From previously published patent documents, it is known to construct a one-piece fan that has a hub and a plurality of forwardly skewed blades that extend radially outwardly from the hub to a circular band that surrounds the hub. It is further known to dispose a shroud in surrounding relation to the fan band so that the fan rotates within the shroud.
It is also known to employ such a fan/shroud combination in a cooling module of an automotive vehicle, and in that case to construct the shroud with integral members that extend radially inwardly from the shroud to an integral electric motor mount for an electric motor that rotates the fan. These integral members are spaced axially from the fan blades so as to avoid mechanical interference therewith.
The design of any given automotive vehicle may impose dimensional constraints on a cooling module such that it may not be possible to use known axial flow fan constructions that possess high efficiency and low noise, for example where there is limited axial space for a fan. Accordingly, there is a need for a high efficiency, low noise axial flow fan that can be packaged within a space that is axially limited, and the present invention relates to the satisfaction of this need through novel and unique constructional features. Details of a specific example of a fan and shroud embodying principles of the invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings disclose a presently preferred embodiment according to the best mode contemplated at the present time for carrying out the invention.